Storage racks are often installed on vehicles to permit carrying additional items that will not fit within the vehicle or are not desirable to carry in the vehicle. Storage racks also often accommodate a variety of lights, such as fog lights. It is sometimes necessary to remove the storage rack to make modifications to the vehicle. For example, the storage rack of some vehicles must be removed to gain access to various roof elements for removal or replacement. Stated differently changing the exterior vehicle configuration often requires roof rack removal. This is often a cumbersome and difficult task wherein any lights interconnected to the rack and associated wiring must be removed. To complicate this task, and regardless if lights are employed, roof racks are often heavy, and may be difficult or dangerous to remove and replace.
Another drawback of the roof racks of the prior art is that they are often hard-mounted to the vehicle, which requires the drilling additional holes into the vehicle. If drilled by the vehicle owner, these holes are often created incorrectly, thereby requiring re-drilling, and possibly, decreasing the resale value of the vehicle. Thus it would be desirable to provide a storage rack that is easily interconnected to a vehicle without requiring permanent modifications to the vehicle.
Thus it is a long felt need to provide a roof storage rack that is easily installed on a vehicle and that is easy to remove, completely or partially, from the vehicle so that the vehicle may be modified. It is also desirable to provide a storage rack that allows for lights and other electrical components associated with the vehicle storage rack to remain interconnected to the power source of the vehicle. The following disclosure describes an improved vehicle storage rack that allows front mounted lights to be maintained with the rack when another portion of the rack is moved to provide access to various areas of the vehicle. The rack of one embodiment of the invention includes features that enhance stability.